I just picked up my first Bennett 646 pump that has been cut down. I was interested in why these pumps were cut down. Did the factory do this? How was the inner workings still able to fit. wouldn't the electrical and gas pipe have to be cut and shortened also? Any info will be helpful in learning about the history of this pump. Thanks
Mike
You sure it's not a 700 series? Never hear of a 646 being cut down but certainly possible.
I had one before. I think it was done at the factory, but I'm not sure. None of the modifications looked like a shade tree mechanic did it. There was a ton of dead space in the 500s and 600s both above and below the pump and meter. They just shortened the frame, the pipe and electrical conduits, and there you go. They were almost the same height as the 700s, but the hinge locations were different as were the latches. The add glass was on top instead of bottom, and the hose outlet and nozzle receiver were also in the wrong spot compared to the 700 series. I think the mods would have been easy to do. This may have been a way to modernize the 600 series to the more fashionable 700s, even though they were mechanically identical. I also once heard a story about these being leftovers from before the war, and cut down to be made more fashionable after the war and used as a transition pump until the 700 was ready for production, but this story is unconfirmed.
Here is a picture of the pump. Sorry for the bad picture. I'm still trying to figure out the resizr ap on my phone.
I also worked on one of these cut down Bennetts recently. I believe these were trade in towards the newer 700 series and the factory did the work to shorten them to resell as a lookalike of the short pumps. The amount of work necessary to cut down a pump hardly seems very profitable. As an example, the doors were not only cut off at the bottom,but cut across the window area with a piece sectioned out and the two pieces welded back together. This meant the inner window frames were also cut, sectioned and re welded. The side panels were easier, as they were cut off at the bottom. If you look at your panels you'll see that there is no lip at the bottoms of all four panels. That made it pretty easy to cave in the bottoms of the sides and doors.
When I find a picture I will post it of the frame and the cutting done.
As Mike said this was not something done out of someones garage.
Rod,
I cleaned out the literature from the Bennett Pump Co., in Muskegon, when they closed. I have no information that they ever offered a used/rebuilt pump (I do have information that Wayne offered the Model 80 in rebuilt condition).
I can give you the names and advertisements from very small companies that rebuilt pumps.
Right before WWII some companies offered a short pump. No pumps were offered for sale, nor were manufactured after around July 1942 when the government stopped production of just about everything. The only pumps that were offered for sale after that date were made before then, plus, you had to have a permit from the U.S. Government to purchase a gas pump.
Late 1945, the war ended, probably at the beginning of 1945 the pump company designers were busy designing the new (shorter) pumps that would be ready for sale around the beginning of 1947.
Bennett offered the new shorter pumps, but they still offered the tall pump. These were advertised that just in case your island had tall pump and you needed a new one you could buy a tall pump so they all looked alight.
By 1947 there were all kinds of pumps being traded in for the new shorter pumps. Plus, many of the returning GIs went in the service station business. Rebuilders purchased these used pumps.. In my files,I can't find it right now, but it is a post card from a rebuilder showing a tall Tokheim 39 converted to a short 39.
If a pump company rebuilt (shortened) these pump it would have been done with the same fine quality they put into their new pumps.
Probably shortened by a few returning GIs needing a job.
Jack Sim
I shouldn't have stated that the Bennett Co. actually did the shortening of the pump. On working with this pump I noted everything that was done to shorten it and concluded that it was some sort of factory job. There are several differences from the cut down 600 series pump and the regular 700 series pump. Most noticeable is the cut down pump still has the taller 600 series base.
Here is a picture of the one that I worked on.
I'm not sure what is going on with my shortened pump. The doors have the larger opening for an ad glass but the computer is centered in the middle so there is no room for the ad glass to fit correctly on the top of bottom.
Mike
That is pretty interesting info about the Bennett pumps. I came across two 600 series pumps and was want to know more about them!
Thomas